Can anyone give me recommendations for Chicago-area restaurants? I'm on the North Side, but I also venture out to the suburbs to visit my pops. I know one place I've been meaning to check out is Soul Vegetarian. It's just sooooooo out of the way.

I really wanted to go to Soul, too, but I heard parking was an issue and no public transport. I'll venture there one day... hopefully. Which direction are your 'burbs?

Crazy! I'm right there! You might want to try Borrowed Earth Cafe in Downers Grove- it's raw vegan. Have you been to Soup to Nuts' little cafe (in Geneva)? They are mainly a HFS but have a couple of vegan options in the cafe. I mean, nothing spectacular, but fresh and good. I get their salad sometimes, and they have wraps, too.

OH! And Prasino! How could I forget? New restaurant that just opened up in St. Charles. They have the most vegan options for breakfast, which they serve until 2pm, and a couple of vegan options for lunch, and fewer for dinner. Everything (or most) is organic and it's just a really cute place.

I just got a groupon for $30 worth of food for there. How many days are you spending out here? There is no WAY I can spend that much in food, so if you're spending a few days and want to meet up, let me know! If it's just a quick trip to see your dad, I'd go with him to Prasino- it has meat and vegan options, and it's close!

I have been to Borrowed Earth, actually. The appetizer and dessert I ordered were pretty good, but I have to say that my zucchini lasagna just felt like a massive salad. I might be willing to try other things, though.

Soup to Nuts is another place I've been to, as my dad used to live in St. Charles, but I've only been in the store part. Usually when I'm out there I order from Tusk, a Thai place in downtown Batavia. They accommodate vegans, surprisingly. This Prasino place sounds intriguing... WOW, I'm going through their menu right now. This is going to be my new favorite spot for sure, and I haven't even tasted their food.

I don't think I'm actually going to the suburbs over break, but winter break might be a possibility. Maybe Chicagoland PPKers could meet up someplace to get some grub or throw a potluck. :)

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:36 pmPosts: 1692Location: the land of too much wine and wind

Most of the Whole Foods in the area have Soul Veg items over by the deli or near the tofu. If you can't make it down to the restaurant, it's a decent alternative. I'm a big fan of the mac & cheeze/greens/buffalo tofu combo. The lasagna is really good too, as are the BBQ strips.

I'm blanking on any restaurant I haven't mentioned in a previous post. I haven't been eating out a lot lately.

_________________I just brought out the carrot sticks. This is war. - paprikapapaya

some of my favorite things on the north side (besides chicago diner, obviously) are ethiopian diamond, loving hut, and yummy yummy. i also love amitabul, but that's kind of out of the way so i don't go there that often. also the all-vegan korean buffet on thursday nights at dragonlady lounge- so good! and so close to my house.

I also got the lasagna at Borrowed earth- it was good. It was my first experience with a raw restaurant, so I didn't know what to expect. I think you get a few salads with each entree? I don't remember.

Ever since Prasino came to town, I'd much rather try to eat my way through all of their vegan options! I've only been there once so far. I had the vegan version of eggs benedict and it was interesting. It came with a side of potato hash browns, but the server swapped them out for sweet potato hash for $1 extra, and I believe there was also something else on the plate- maybe a small order of fruit? The portions are large- I took half of it home- and the atmosphere is really cool. I just haven't had time to get back there yet, but it's the "it" place to be right now.

queenofpainting wrote:

Usually when I'm out there I order from Tusk, a Thai place in downtown Batavia. They accommodate vegans, surprisingly.

Awesome! I'm from St. Charles, just recently moved to Batavia, and hadn't heard of Tusk- thanks for the recommendation! Any particular dishes that you really like/that are easily veganizable?

Joined: Wed Oct 20, 2010 5:36 pmPosts: 1692Location: the land of too much wine and wind

Dragonlady sounds pretty awesome. I've never really had Korean food, and I lived around the corner from there for a few years. But that was a while ago, before it was there. I might be down for a meet up.

_________________I just brought out the carrot sticks. This is war. - paprikapapaya

This has been an awesome week of food. Tried out the food cart yesterday. Wow. Pomegranate-glazed tofu and Muenster panini on jalapeño focaccia. We haven't gotten around to the tofu/veggie fried rice or pecan pie yet. Probably after dinner tonight.

Turns out Amitabul is less than 2 miles from my aunt's house, so we went there for lunch today. OMG! Amazing. Delicious and a "forking fuckload of food," to use my fiancé's colorful response. I especially loved the date tea. We stopped by Bleeding Heart, too, for the vegan sampler.

Jan 6 isn't far away though! We can go for a Happy New Year thing or something!

Is Dragonlady Lounge the place near the N. Elston/California/someother street intersection?

Also, I've lived here for years and have eaten out soooo little. I don't know a lot of good places to get stuff either. Can we start compiling a list of places with a lot of vegan options or something? I haven't been to most of these, but I know there's:

I dunno, there used to be those guides for a couple cities in the old Square, can we maybe work on one for Chicago? I'm such a forking hermit, and while I know Happy Cow lists a bunch, I'm 800% more likely to go if it's PPKer approved because I'm a loser like that.

Delicious Cafe! Love that place. Also:Cozy Noodles in Wrigleyville. Veg-friendlyLife On Mars, vegan take-out on Armitage/Californiaand the Peninsula Hotel does an afternoon tea with a separate vegan menu! No, I haven't gone yet (boo hoo), but I WILL this spring! (Right, Cowgirl??)Fritz Pastry! Vegan donuts!!

Also, there is a vegetarian restaurant in the suburbs called Chowpatti, mainly Indian food but some other stuff as well. VERY vegan friendly. A little pricey though.

I am sllloooowly compiling a list of veg and veg-friendly spots in Chicago (north side, mainly) on my blog. I wish I could do more than I am, but it's a $$ thing, you know? And once I figure out how to do tabs on my blog I plan on putting a full listing.

Has anyone ever attended one of the Vegan Chicago meetups (through meetup.com)? I signed up years ago, but never had the courage to actually go to anything. Their next meetup is next Saturday, Jan. 8, at Ian's Pizza. I'm tempted to go if I can conquer my fear in the next week. Has anyone attended one of their meetups before? What was it like?